Arriva Merseyside to take 12 BYD/ADL electric buses

505728 Oct 2016UK,Electric

Alexander Dennis and BYD have won the first order outside the capital for the Enviro200 EV with 12 buses for the city centre circular routes 26 and 27, known as The Belt following a joint bid for the Low Emission Bus Scheme by Arriva North West and Merseytravel. The new buses, which will be delivered by mid-2017 with ADL as prime contractor, will provide a service from the Liverpool One bus station and be based at Arriva’s Green Lane bus depot in Liverpool. Eight BYD chargers are being installed in the depot and the garage.

The buses are expected to cover 150 to 190 miles per day and will be charged overnight,designed to operate a full day’s duty cycle on a single charge. BYD says that the vehicle’s battery capacity and range means that operators do not have to purchase additional buses beyond the number of their current diesel fleet in order to maintain service on the route.

The BYD ADL Enviro200EVs being supplied to Arriva will feature a provincial specification with 38 seats - a mix of Esteban Civic V3 and ADL-designed units. There is space for 32 standing passengers and there are USB charging points throughout the bus.

“This is a significant breakthrough for us and our partner BYD,” says Arthur Whiteside, managing director - UK sales, ADL. “It’s the first joint order from outside London and opens the door to a range of provincial cities wishing to upgrade their bus fleets to pure electric, emissions free standard. The Enviro200EV provides a stylish, cost-effective and proven bus to meet their needs”.

Frank Thorpe, BYD UK country manager, adds: “We are delighted to be part of this significant order along with our partners ADL. Merseyside is pointing the way for other British cities wishing to tackle their air quality issues through pollution-free city centre buses. We look forward to more such orders”.